The ups and downs and ins and outs of growing your own, 2018

unrecordings

I've often thought about a table on the drive. I've got millions (okay, probably hundreds) of ferns growing everywhere. Everytime I pull an aquilegia up I think 'six quid' - but they don't seem to repot so well. And I'm building up a small nursery of baby oak trees

zafiro1984

Hi Everyone, I'm popping back in to report on progress.

Undercover:- things are doing well, new potatoes are well in production, first peas gathered, elephant garlic leaves have started to go brown so I should be able to pull those up soon, autumn planted shallots already pulled up. I've planted most things now in the tunnels not much space left.

Outside:- onions and shallots doing well, yellow courgettes and summer squash looking good, just planted out a couple of gerkens and some swiss chard. The rabbits ate my runner and french beans so I started some off again. The sweetcorn was supposed to go out yesterday but I hadn't time. carrots have germinated but not the parsnips

Things to do this week, earth up the main potatoes, net everything before the rabbits eat everything, check on the blackcurrents, gooseberries, tie in the raspberries 'again', strim the paths and weed, weed, weed the beds. I've still got chillies, peppers, melons and cucs to plant out in the remaining space undercover. - Going to be a busy week.

Cheery_Daff

Hi all, can I join you? :hello: Lovely to read about all your growing exploits :j

We moved house at the end of Feb from a city terrace (with a tiny garden where I grew a tiny bit of food) to 11 acres of countryside in the middle of nowhere (well, 2 miles from nearest shop anyway) :eek: It's been quite overwhelming :rotfl: And of course the day after we moved we were snowed in for a week :eek:

Needless to say I am not remotely organised, but the last few weeks things have come together and I've actually got quite a few things on the go :j

In plastic walk-in greenhouse
* cabbage
* leeks
* kale
* spinach
* tiny tomatoes
* rocket
* courgette
* three types of squash (these are ready to be hardened off now I reckon)


In 6x4 glass greenhouse, only put up this week :j
* two BIG tomato plants donated by a friend
* cucumber
* two types of beans, currently being put out in the day and taken back in at night

In the ground
* several raspberry canes
* gooseberry bush

In pots outside
* lettuce
* basil
* coriander
* apple tree (brought from old house)

I'm planting in one corner of what has been a hay meadow for years :eek: :rotfl: So this year I'm doing an imperfect layering of cardboard (got a LOT of boxes from moving), grass cuttings, and a bit of bought in compost. Not perfect but will do for this year.

I've started a three bay compost system so hope to have own compost for next year :j This year I'm buying in from the council place. Need to investigate manure sources (we're close to dairy farms and it all seems to go to slurry here)

So I'm getting there :j Some days I feel more overwhelmed than others :j But I am just pleased that things are GROWING :j :j Some things haven't, of course. Peppers germinated then died, spinach looks decidedly ropey, and kale gets so big then keels over. But I'm excited about the possibilities :j :j

Looking forward to following all your journeys too :j

zafiro1984

Cheery Daff - Wow you are doing well and pretty well organised despite what you think. Keep posting, its such a good feeling when you pick the veg for tea and not go shopping.

Did my knee in on Tuesday, x-rays organised tomorrow but it means I'm grounded for a few days. I spent the afternoon sowing some more seeds, I try to have a succession of things so I don't sow too many at any one time - sowed lettuce, green and red, rocket, kohl rabi, fennel, beetroot, calabrese plus Farrari dwarf french beans, cobra climbing beans and cannelloni Italian beans as the rabbits had eaten the previous sowings. I'm going to keep them in the utility room until they are well grown.
I'll see if I can get my DH to do some watering later as we have had no rain here today but at the moment he's out mowing quite a large field so I may have to wait until tomorrow.

I'm getting to the stage this year where I've sufficient veg for tea if I'm not too fussy or picky on what vegetables we eat. Tonight I've managed mangetout, potatoes, and yellow courgettes plus a few strawberries.

unrecordings

I've got yellow courgettes - trouble is they're supposed to be green. They tend to look promising, get up to 2" long then start to go yellow. Eccles (born feral on the mean streets of Chesterfield) got a rat today and after a well earned nap decided to go looking for foxes as next door's chickens were going berzerk. The windy weather didn't do much damage, and prompted me to tidy up the raspberries and the lovage patch. I tried netting the blackcurrants - not sure how successful that's going to be.

smeeinnit

Progress update...

Slugs have abated after an application of Nemaslug, but they completely devastated my hostas and the resown veg and flower seeds before they did.........

However the runner beans, dwarf beans, peas, mangetout, lettuces, spinach, broad beans and strawberries all growing really really well. Had enough strawberries for a few desserts (lush) and the broad beans will be ready to pick in days.

Tomatoes have not started to flower yet, hoping its not going to be long. Not all the plants I raised from seed will make it as a lot went leggy and fell over, not all of them could be rescued. I think I still have enough anyway.

My shallots are starting to bulb up too, so its not all bad.

The greenhouse is STILL NOT UP! I nearly blew a gasket at the installer, decided to try being civil one last time, and he finally confirmed the date to install on 24 June.

Is it too late to sow cucumbers now? Bit worried it may be too late and I will have to scout for bargains in the garden centre.

Hope you are all having more successes than failures

Jazee

Morning all. Smeeinit - I think you probably are a bit late for cucumbers.


Here, everything still going well. Garden competition which I'm going to enter this year has a two month extension which helps as the garden isn't quite as colourful as it could be yet. Probably due to the late start with the snow.


We are currently eating broad beans, strawberries, courgettes and lettuce. Peas and beetroot should be ready soon.

tootallulah

I am in North Notts and my cucumbers that are outside seem to be doing just as well as the one in the greenhouse, not an outdoor variety either. I think I need to be a bit braver about putting more stuff outdoors.

zafiro1984

Morning all
Smeeinnit:- Although a bit late for cucs I'd give it a go especially if you have the seeds, they would just crop later in the year. Cucs make a very tasty cucumber and avocado soup
You reminded me about Nemaslug, I must get some, I believe it now has the 'organic' approval.

I'm going to try and get out on the plot today, knee is well and truly damaged but pain killers help. I'm going to try two sessions, one this morning and another this afternoon, about half an hour each as I've so much to do to keep on top of things.

This AM I'll do all the watering in the tunnels and greenhouse and check on things, maybe if I've time I'll pull up some earlies which are in raised beds. If I'm OK this PM it's the last of the pots to be planted. It gets a bit awkward to do things when you are on two crutches but if you don't try you won't know what you can do or not.

Cheery_Daff

I'm impressed at you gardening on two crutches zafiro! :eek: Well done!

My cucumbers are still just two leaves (although some have started to develop an extra one now). I'm all for just bunging stuff in and seeing what happens if you have the room.

Just put my beans outside of the greenhouse for the day again - they're SO ready to go outside properly now but I've not acquired any canes yet (and it's also raining quite a lot today and we have visitors arriving soon so they'll have to wait (the beans, not the visitors)).